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You can lose everything, but nobody will take away what you saw and what you experienced...
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Sep 21, 2010 02:00 PM Yenisseysk - old Siberian town
Yenisseysy was established in 1619 - it is one of the oldest Siberian towns....... I stay in the lovely, little Ilimpeyskaya Hotel poying 1000 roubles for the clean room witha a shared bath. Pleople here - in outback Siberia are much nicer than in the westernized big towns of contemporary Russia.
I took a long walk along the Rabocho-Krestyanska St enjoying old, traditional timber houses and orthodox churches. It is lovely Indian Summer now here - quite warm and sunny. The loaf of bread costs some 15 roubles (half dollar), hot soup in the bar - 25-50, egg 3.50...
In the evening I got a fax from Krasnoyarsk - yes, FSB permited me to sail further north, but there are strict conditions: one day in Norilsk only and the escort from trhe beginning to the end of my stay. Paid escort - can you imagine?!
I am happy anyway - nobody of my friends saw closed town of Norilsk. More people will come if I will collect the information how to get there and how to awoid the traps...
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Sep 20, 2010 02:00 PM Sailing Yenissey River...
In the evening I got the bad news: no permit... Maybe they will decide tomorrow... FSB... But tomorrow morning I have a boat to the north... The young lady from Russian travel agency took money and promised to send me the permit to the holet in Yenisseysk where I want to make a stopover on my great river voyage down the Yenissey. Should I trust them? Do I have another choice?
At 6.30 am it was still dark when I was walking with my bacpack to the Krasnoyarsk river terminal. The boat was waiting. It is "Prof. Bliznyak" - the real twin ship of the "Kulibin" I sailed down Lena last year.
We departed on time: at 7 am. and we were sailin non stop all day... On the banks of the big river there was beautiful foliage of the autumn taiga. Great colors of green, gold, brown...
We reached Yenisseysk in the dark at 10.30 pm. No news regarding my permit...
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Sep 19, 2010 02:00 PM FSB: your travel permit is not ready!
In the past it was KGB, but now it is FSB who takes care of the people who wanst to go to the special zones in Russia. Two months ago a travel agency from Krasnoyarsk placed to FGB my application with all enclosures. I want to sail on the Yenissey River north - to the closed town of Dudinka and Norilsk. I was very dissappointed to hear that my permit is not ready and nobody knows if and when it will be ready... Next message will be in the evening...
I decided to use the day to go to the Stolby rock formations close to the town. You can go there by city bus (11 roubles each way - dirty cheap!).
There are two ways of access: 7 kms walk from the bus 50 stop or a chairlift (150 RT) from the Bobrovy Log amusement park - bus 37 goes to the park. I had a nice wether to take some good pictures of the rocks and there was a panoramic view of the city and the river from the hills. But the local Stolby are not as impressive like a Lenske Stolby (Lena Pillars - see my website) in Yakutia. Please keep your fingers crossed for the positive FSB decision. The ship down the Yenissey departs tomorrow!
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Sep 18, 2010 02:00 PM Krasnoyarsk in Siberia...
Due to the time zone changes it was already 5.30 in the morning when we landed in Krasnoyarsk. There was 15 deg Celsius in Moscow, but ony 2 deg here, in Siberia so I was running fast to the terminal building. No rain but foggy...
Taxi drivers wanted to charge 800 roubles for the 45-km ride to the city. I decided to wait for the first city bus at 7.40 and I paid only 48 roubles pls 6 for the backpack. After one hour drive I saw uncle Lenin is still standing with one hand in the pocket on the Revolution Square. From this place I took a walk to the Inna's Homestay at Lebedewoy St 109/44 - it is nice flat and the owner speaks good English... Recommended!
I took a long walk to the bank of Yenissey. It is one of the biggest rivers of Siberia, it looks very impressive in Krasnoyarsk... It is not easy to find internet access in Krasnoyarsk - I found it finally at the post office at 106 Prospekt Mira - they charge 29 roubles per hour plus transfer...
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Sep 17, 2010 02:00 PM On my way to Siberia...
Russian Kaliningrad is for the fourth time my cheapest gateway to Russia. The twice-a-day bus Gdansk to Kaliningrad costs still only 50 zlotrys - like 16 USD.
We stoent about one hour at the border and reached Kaliningrad station at 11.50 am. The bus from Kaliningrad Station to the airport goes every hour. The nearest was at 12.30. I had enough time to change money - there is a changer at the railway station but you can get better rate at the shopping center just opposite... Ther pay 30,50 roubels for USD.
I was on time for the Aeroflot flight to Moscow. New terminal D - domestic looks very nice but no internet access except the business clas lounge. The flight to Krasnoyarsk was on time and quite good hot meal was served... Welome to Russia!
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Sep 16, 2010 02:00 PM New expedition to the East!
The summer is over and I am departing for a new, long journey! I enjoyed so much last year's sailing down the Lena - The Queen of Siberian rivers, that I decided to try to make a similar feat at another big river of Siberia - Yenissey. The feat, because the lower part of Yenissey is still a special zone. To go there, you need a special permit from the the Russian authorities including FGB. I would like to get up to Norilsk - a closed city where nickel, platinum and gold are exploited. In mines of Norilsk, in the extreme conditions of Far North during the Stalin times Gulag prisoners worked, including the Poles. From Siberia, I intend to go to the western China to see Takla Makan Desert, and then to cross this great country from end to end by rail, stopping in the places which I do not yet know. This is unusual route and like in my previous travels, a lot of unknowns and challenges are waiting for me on the way. Please keep your fingers crossed for me! If there will be internet connection on the route you will find hot news from my journey in my travellog . Look at the map - it will be again more then 15000 kms, I believe...
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Sep 05, 2010 02:00 PM Last day in Oslo
There are two hills with the nice views of the city and Oslo Fiord: Ekeberg i Holmennkollen...
But most of the time I spent in the Vigeland Park, where great sculpture park is located. Entry is free and it is one of the top attractions of Norway. More then 200 sculptures in bronze and granite are on display on the open air. Gustav Vigeland was famous Norvegian sculptor and people here are very prouf of him. I had still a nice, sunny weather and the walk through the park was really great. But sorry, it is the time to come back home - to prepare another, much more serious expedition. :))
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Sep 04, 2010 02:00 PM Kon-tiki and Fram on display...
Oslo, Norway. For the passionate traveler there are at least two important museums to visit in Oslo: Kon-tiki Museum and Fram museum. Entry is not cheap (60 NOK each one) but Norway in general is expensive country for the foreigners...
In Kon-tiki you can see the rafts of Thor Heyerdahl - famous sailor exploring the oceans and islands like Easter Island and Fatu Hiva (it brought me a memories of my stays there).
Fram was the ship used by the expeditions to Arctica and Antarctica in early 20th century by Nansen and Amudsen... Very interesting day!
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Sep 03, 2010 02:00 PM Oslo after 10 years...
Lovely, sunny day. It is worth to buy 24-hours ticket for the city transport (single ticket will cost you 26 or even 40 NOK if if you buy from the driver). With such a ticket you have unlimited rides on buses, trams, subway and city ferries. Take such a ferry from the castle jetty for a short circle tour to the islands of the Oslo Fiord! It will give you a nice opportunity to see the city skyline and the waterfront...
In the central part of Oslo after 10 years from my first visit I see many changes. First of all - they built here a new, grandiose opera house. You can climb it by outside stone sidewalks to the top of the roof to enjoy the view of the fiord. But the guards in front of the Royal Palace have still the same uniforms and they are very informal - talking with the tourists...
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Sep 02, 2010 02:00 PM To Norway on a cheap...
When I started traveling the world some 40 years ago nobody was dreaming about low-cost airlines. Now there are a lot of them to make happy the budget travelers from many countries. Can you imagine: I bought a round trip air ticket from Poland to Oslo-Norway for just 55 zlotys (less then 20 USD)? Well... The Ryan Air plane landed in the Rygge airport - some 70 kms from central Oslo so you have to add an extra cost of the transfers to the bill... From Rygge airport there is a free bus to the nearest railway station (4 kms ride) and then you have to pay 123 Norwegian crowns for the train. After 50 minutes you are in the Oslo downtown.
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